


New Girl

by sephmeadowes



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bella Swan Stans Stay Away, Comedy of Errors, Coming of Age, Edward Hot Boy Problems, F/M, Protect them at all costs, Rom-Com With Vampires, Sass Queen Jessica, The Twilight Humans Are My Children, the love triangle nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28732140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sephmeadowes/pseuds/sephmeadowes
Summary: Jessica did not want to be in a love triangle. The universe disagreed.
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Jessica Stanley, Jessica Stanley/Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 102
Kudos: 81
Collections: A Collection of Beloved Inserts





	1. Who's That Girl?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's that girl?

Jessica thought there had to be weirder ways to spend her weekend than helping decorate a bedroom. The bedroom just happened to be at the house of her mom's boyfriend and it was going to be occupied by his estranged daughter that was coming to live with him. She had never met Charlie's daughter as the last time the girl had visited was before Jessica and her family moved to Forks. And none of her friends had much recollection of their kindergarten days with Bella Swan so Jessica had no idea what to even get for her bedroom.

Jessica's mom and Charlie both thought that since she was a teenage girl that she would know what any teenager would want in a bedroom as if she just had secretly been taking interior design classes while going to high school. Charlie had been terrible at keeping up to date with his daughter and any of her possible interests. The only helpful bit of advice he was able to get out of his ex-wife was that Bella liked to read. Whether she liked Shakespeare or comic books would be too specific and Jessica would have to rely on the power of guessing.

As Charlie and her mom looked over curtains, Jessica sneaked off into the corner of the home supply store and looked around for inspiration. She finally gave in and called Angela for help. She could complain to her best friend at the least.

"She likes to read and somehow I'm supposed to come up with a plan on what to put in her room," Jessica said. "What do I even put in there? A fake skull so she can have Hamlet monologues?"

Angela snorted softly. "Maybe get her a book shelf? Just keep things simple. A lamp, a clock, a bean bag chair…"

"I don't even know what color scheme to do. Charlie doesn't know her favorite color."

"Oh no."

Jessica moaned pitifully. "Do you see what I'm dealing with here?"

"Try more neutral colors. A lot of people like blue."

She picked up a bundle of yellow and white fake flowers. "I have an idea. We could do a theme like Miss Honey's cottage in _Matilda_. I could get her a tea set and everything."

"I don't know about that, Jess."

"You're right. Miss Honey is more your thing."

* * *

Jessica ended up being proud of what they did with the bedroom. It looked nicer than her bedroom. Maybe she should take a page out of Charlie's book and redecorate. The day Bella was to arrive in Forks, Charlie went to pick her up at the airport while Jessica and her mom stayed at Charlie's house to get the place ready.

While Charlie was away, his best friend Billy Black came over with his son. Charlie had bought a truck from them they restored for Bella to use and it looked like it wouldn't go past sixty miles an hour without completely giving up. She paused at the sight of Billy Black's son who she had been seeing around La Push for years when they would come to beach. Puberty hit him hard.

She knew he had to be about sixteen but he looked older. He had to be around seven feet tall and he was fit and muscled. His long hair was tied up in a ponytail and it brought attention to his cheekbones. With the russet skin and the sunny smile, Jacob Black was incredibly attractive.

He handed the key to the truck over to her mom as she made chitchat with Billy. He hovered over everyone like a very handsome giant. Maybe she should set him up with Angela. He wouldn't be intimidated by Angela's height when he was a whole foot taller than her.

He noticed her staring and smiled at her. She ignored the fluttering in her belly. He wasn't for her. He was for Angela whether he liked it or not.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi."

"You restore a lot of cars?"

He shrugged. "It's kind of my thing."

"Your girlfriend must find it impressive."

"I actually don't have one." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Not that I don't want one but I've been busy."

He was single! Good job, Jess. Now, she just needed to get the two of them to meet. That shouldn't be too hard.

She reassured, "Don't worry. The right girl should come along and flip your world upside down."

He looked contemplative, his sunny disposition dimming. "I suppose you're right."

He left with his dad soon after and she allowed herself one last look at Jacob's overall hotness. Maybe if Jessica had been taller or he was shorter, they could've been a thing. Alas, he was meant for the pastor's daughter. She was such a good friend.

* * *

Jessica's first glimpse of Bella Swan was her looking morose as she got out of the police car and holding a small cactus in her hand. She was about medium height with pale skin and long brown hair. Her doe eyes took in her surroundings with sullenness. The brunette stilled at the sight of Jessica and her mom.

Charlie went to her mom and wrapped an arm around her. "Bella, I would like you to meet Joan."

Charlie wasn't public with affection or touch at all. He wasn't a hugger. Pats on the shoulder or back was more of his thing. Jessica knew that he was making a statement.

Bella frowned before smoothing it over into a blank expression. "Nice to meet you."

Her mom smiled warmly. "Charlie's told me so much about you."

Charlie seemed oblivious and patted Jessica on her shoulder with his free hand. "And this is her daughter, Jessica. She's your age and you'll be at the same school together."

"Great," Bella replied. "It'll be nice to know somebody at school."

Jessica wasn't sure if the other girl was being sincere or not but she opted not to react. She didn't know this girl yet. And she was Charlie's daughter. She had to make an effort.

"I'll show you the ropes. Whatever you need."

Her mom chimed in, "Jessica will take care of you and she knows everyone at school."

It was hard to not to know everyone with such a small class. She had been the new girl when she moved from Maine back in middle school. After years of living there, she had blended into the population as if she'd been there her whole life. She didn't have a doubt that Bella would assimilate too.

Jessica nodded and reassured her, "You can count on me."

* * *

Bella had reacted well to her bedroom. She had been the most pleased with the bookshelf Jessica had picked out for her. Jessica helped her unpack her stuff as her mom worked on dinner downstairs. Charlie usually tried to help with mixed results.

Dinner was pleasant enough. Her mom made blueberry pie that Jessica could eat on her own if they allowed her. Her mom made an effort to get to know Bella's interests and her childhood in Arizona. Jessica learned Bella liked classic literature and warm weather.

And that was it.

Jessica tried not to make judgments. She had only been around the girl for a few hours and she seemed very introverted. Bella probably needed time to get out of her shell. She told herself this as she and her mom went home after dinner.

Monday morning came and her mom dropped her off at Charlie's house early. She was getting a ride with Bella so the girl would learn the way to school. She hadn't accounted for the nearly non-existent heating in her truck. She should have a word with Jacob that people could die from the cold.

They arrived at school half-frozen and eagerly made their way inside. She led Bella to get her schedule and looked over at it with her. They were in all of the same classes. She told herself this made showing Bella around a lot easier.

They were getting looks from people as they walked through the hallway. They hadn't seen a new face in two years and they always acted this way until the novelty wore off. Jessica had been the new girl in middle school when she moved from Maine. She got her share of attention before people got bored and focused on something else.

Eric came over, carrying his camera. "Hey, Jess. Who's this?"

"This is Bella," she replied. "Sheriff Swan's daughter."

"The new girl."

Bella was the new girl now. Jessica gave him a smile as he asked Bella if he could take a picture of her. He wanted to feature her on the school newspaper. Apparently, it was a very slow news day.

When lunch time came around, Jessica had introduced to Bella to all of her friends who asked her numerous questions about her interests and Arizona. Bella's stepdad was a professional baseball player and while he wasn't particularly well-known that association had a certain cache.

"Who are they?" Bella asked.

Jessica looked up from her food to find the Cullens heading towards their usual table at the corner of the cafeteria. Rosalie and Emmett along with Jasper and Alice were being inappropriately affectionate again. Edward trailed behind them as the perpetual fifth wheel, looking broody and unhappy to be there as usual. He briefly met her eye and Jessica rolled her eyes as she turned away.

"The Cullens," she replied. "Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and the one who looks constipated is Edward."

Her friends laughed. No one was really friends with the Cullens so she didn't feel guilty for being a little mean. It's not like they would care. Edward probably didn't even know her name.

Bella was looking over at their table and was watching as Edward stabbed his plate of spaghetti aimlessly.

"Don't bother," she told her. "Edward doesn't date anyone."

"Why not?"

Mike cut in, "We have a betting pool about that if you'd like to join in. I personally think he's in a cult."

Eric piped up, "Secret girlfriend."

Tyler joined in, "Erectile dysfunction."

Jessica declared, "Psychotic murderer."

Lauren added in sing-song, "Gay."

Angela shook her head at their antics and reassured Bella, "You don't have to join their offensive betting pool. None of us know why Edward is single and it's really none of our business."

"I won't."

Bella's eyebrows were furrowed and she looked over at the Cullens' table again. Edward was staring back at her. Bella bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ear. Jessica tried to tamp down her disbelief.

Even _Edward Cullen_ was giving attention to the new girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. It's been a while. This came about because when I was writing Impossible people were wondering what it would be like if Bella was in the story. Now I can't put 'No Bella' in the summary and it makes me sad. Jessica trying so hard not to be annoyed at Bella is me trying so hard not to roast Bella.
> 
> New AU. We're back in high school with Jessica and the Human Gang. Think of it as a parallel universe to Impossible. Things are similar but different.
> 
> 1\. This is set in their junior year. School year 2006 - 2007.
> 
> 2\. Matilda is a 1996 film.


	2. It's Not About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess takes one for the team.

When they walked into their Chemistry class, they had a dilemma. The lab tables were only for two people so they had to make the choice of who they wanted to sit with for the year. Mike was in this class and he asked Angela to be his lab partner. Angela couldn't resist Mike's puppy eyes and agreed. Jessica took the seat beside Lauren when she noticed Bella about to take the only other remaining seat left in class - the one beside Edward Cullen.

Edward was glaring at Bella, his eyes not even blinking as the brunette tried hard not to fidget. He covered his face with a hand as if he smelled something disgusting. Maybe he didn't like Bella's perfume? Was Bella even wearing perfume?

The way Edward was glaring at Bella was kind of disturbing and Jessica wasn't the only one who noticed.

"Hey," Angela said. "Maybe one of us should switch with Bella? Edward is kind of acting a little…"

"Serial killer-y?" Jessica supplied.

"Maybe he's just upset they ran out of his favorite hair gel or something," Lauren countered. "And I'm not sitting beside him even if you paid me. He's a walking fire hazard."

Angela's eyebrows furrowed, and being the sweet angel that she was, she offered, "Maybe I could switch with her?"

Mike put an arm around her shoulders and shook his head vehemently. "No way, nuh-uh, nope, Angie, you agreed to be my lab partner. I cannot pass this class without you. Let the new girl deal with Cullen PMS-ing."

Lauren gave Jessica a look of sadistic delight. "Looks like it's down to you, Stanley. Are you going to save poor Bella Swan or not?"

Jessica scowled. She could stay where she was and not get involved. But she promised her mom and Charlie she would look after Bella and that meant not letting her sit with brooding mass murderers in the making. She inwardly groaned, picked up her backpack, and walked over. She tapped Bella on the shoulder and the brunette turned around.

"We should switch," Jessica told her. "Lauren wants to be lab partners with you."

"No, I don't – ow!"

They turned to see Lauren rubbing her arm and Angela smiling innocently at them. Lauren gave a long-suffering sigh and gestured for Bella to come over. Bella's big brown eyes looked unsure as she glanced between Lauren and Edward still glaring at her. The brunette bit her lips and blinked rapidly as she seemed to be trying to make the decision.

Jessica leaned down and whispered in Bella's ear, "Just switch with me, okay? Trust me. Edward Cullen's kind of a jerk."

"A-Are you sure?" Bella replied. "I don't know, um, I don't mind sitting here…"

Jessica pulled her to her feet, put her backpack in her hands and pushed her in Lauren's direction. "I'm sure. Bye, Bella. Be free."

Bella stumbled over her feet and nearly fell to the floor if Mike hadn't caught her. The brunette blushed and walked dejectedly to Lauren's side and took her seat. She looked put-out but didn't say anything. Lauren looked even more annoyed at having to partner up with Bella.

Jessica was already regretting switching partners but she couldn't go back now. She put down her backpack and reminded herself that it was one class. If Bella ever found herself having to sit beside Evil Glare Cullen again, that was going to be her problem. Jessica could only take so many hits for the team.

Edward was still glaring at Bella. He wasn't even blinking.

"Would you relax, Cullen?" Jessica said. "What did she do to you? You're acting like she slapped your mother and burned your house down."

Edward transferred his glare over to her, his eyes dark and intense much like a shark or a falcon. He was giving her the heebie-jeebies.

"Well?" she prompted, refusing to let him cow her. She was too proud for that.

"Nothing. She didn't do anything," he finally bit out.

"Then, how about you count to ten and think about how to not be so creepy?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

She leaned a little closer to him and whispered, "FYI, you're acting really creepy and nobody likes it. But you didn't hear that from me."

He just looked perplexed and kept quiet the rest of the lesson. At least he wasn't giving out death glares like free candy anymore.

* * *

The next day, Edward Cullen was gone. The last Jessica heard of him was that he was trying to switch or drop out of his Chemistry class and when he was unsuccessful he must've driven his car into the sea in a tantrum. Some people could not take the world didn't revolve around them and just couldn't live with the disappointment. Jessica wasn't really concerned about whether or not Edward was living under the sea with the cast of _The Little Mermaid_ and she was resigned to doing lab experiments on her own.

Bella was very concerned about his whereabouts. A little too concerned. She brought it up during lunch.

"Do you think it's my fault?" the brunette bit her lip worriedly. "Like maybe I offended him somehow?"

"You never even talked to him," Jessica pointed out. "If he's offended about you existing then join the club. He looks at everyone in school like we're diseased."

"That's a little mean, Jess," Angela chided gently. "Edward might just prefer to be by himself. That's all."

Jessica snorted and pointed out, "Did you know that a lot of serial killers were misunderstood loners in high school? I read about it. Edward Cullen has that feel to him."

Eric joined in, "Maybe he eloped with his secret girlfriend."

Tyler piped up, "They could've cured the erectile dysfunction and they could finally be together."

Mike cut in, "No. He went back to his cult."

Lauren countered, "What if we all guessed right about him? Like he was in a cult and he killed his girlfriend because she couldn't accept his inability to sustain a hard-on and now he's run off with his gay lover."

Angela frowned. "It sounds like a bad soap opera."

"But would you watch it, Angie?"

As they argued about the merits of having a soap opera with that ridiculous plot, Jessica tried to reassure Bella, "He's probably fine. The Cullens go on camping trips when the weather is nice. Maybe Edward just wanted to do some loner hiking. He'll be back."

And it wasn't like anyone besides his family would miss him if he never returned.

* * *

Edward was MIA for the rest of the week. Bella seemed to be the only one bothered by this. She stared longingly at his empty seat in Chemistry and in the cafeteria. The girl had a crush despite how much Jessica tried to dissuade her from it.

Bella was setting herself up for failure. Edward rejected every girl who tried to talk to him and seemed completely uninterested in dating. Back in their Freshman Year, Lauren had dared Jessica to ask out Edward on a date. It had ended with Jessica crying in the girl's bathroom from the hurt and humiliation.

Not the kind of thing a teenage girl would forget about anytime soon.

After volleyball practice, Jessica was in the parking lot waiting for Lauren when she saw Tyler who just finished with football practice. Tyler came over, his hair still wet from the shower. He wanted to talk about the Homecoming dance.

"Do you think Bella would want to go with me?" he asked.

Jessica blinked. She learned that Bella didn't seem too fond of anything school-related that didn't involve getting to read an old book. She tried to get Bella to join extra-curricular activities and it went disastrously. Bella was a safety hazard to herself and others which they learned during volleyball try-outs.

Bella wasn't interested in other clubs like Math, Science, Debate, Chess, Student Government, School Newspaper, Yearbook, Outdoors, Foreign Languages, or Photography. Jessica had to remind her that college applications were around the corner and Bella needed to be able to put something on them besides "I hate everything in the twenty-first century". Jessica was in eight clubs and on the volleyball varsity and she was still stressed that it wasn't enough to impress Stanford.

"I don't know if it's her thing," she answered. "It can't hurt to ask, right?"

Tyler smiled awkwardly. "What if she says no?"

She shrugged. "Then ask someone else? You could go with me or Angela or Lauren. We could all go together as a group thing. It's not prom. Let's just have fun."

"That's true. I'll ask Bella and see where that goes." He nodded at her and turned to leave. "Thanks, Jess. See you on Monday."

Lauren finally appeared, looking flushed and carrying her gym bag. She unlocked her car and got in. Jessica followed and got into the passenger seat. The blonde started the car and drove them out of the parking lot. Jessica looked out the window and saw Mike standing by his car.

Jessica turned to her friend and questioned, "What took you so long?"

"Katie Marshall wanted to talk to me about what we're reading for English class. It's one of those morose Shakespeare sonnets. Bella would probably cream herself over it."

"You're transparent when you're deflecting."

"And you're pathetic when you're fishing.

"Don't drag Katie into your lies. Were you or were you not making out with Mike again?"

Lauren kept her eyes firmly on the road. "I don't have to answer to you."

That was good as a 'yes' when it came to Lauren. Mike and Lauren had been in an on-again off-again relationship since middle school. They were off-again since the summers but would be on-again soon enough. Lauren and Mike always came back to each other.

Jessica decided to change the topic. "Tyler just asked me if Bella would want to go to Homecoming with him."

Lauren snorted. "Mike just told me Eric was considering asking her to Homecoming too."

"He told you that in between trying to stick his tongue down your throat?"

Lauren smacked her on the arm. "In any case, who do you think your sister would go with?"

"She's not my sister."

"She's as good as."

Jessica remembered when Charlie showed her the diamond ring he bought in Port Angeles, wanting her opinion if her mom would like it or not. He made plans to take her mom to dinner at this fancy French restaurant in Port Angeles but that got delayed because they became busy with preparing for Bella's move to Forks. Charlie had sworn Jessica to secrecy about the ring and his proposal plans and Jessica lived with anticipation for the moment it all came to fruition. Charlie and her mom had been dating for almost two years and if they married then Bella would be her stepsister, close enough to an actual sister.

Jessica didn't know how she felt about that.

"Or maybe Edward Cullen will come back and take her to Homecoming," Lauren continued. "Wouldn't that be funny? Your sister would be going to the dance with the boy that turned you down."

It actually didn't sound funny at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Twilight book but from the perspective of someone normal. Our girl, Jess, is trying so hard to be nice to the walking disaster that is her future stepsister.
> 
> 1\. "You're transparent when you're deflecting" "And you're pathetic when you're fishing" is from The Vampire Diaries.
> 
> 2\. Chapter title is from a Scouting For Girls song.


	3. Crash and Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica has better things to do.

Jessica's fantasy of having a life free of Edward Cullen came to an abrupt end come Monday morning when she walked into her History class to see him seated at the back of the classroom. She frowned and wondered why he couldn't just stay where he was singing _Under the Sea_ forever. Nobody missed him. Except for Bella but that girl was helpless as a kitten with its head stuck in a box so she didn't count.

She had this class with Eric who liked to sit by the windows and dream of escaping throughout the lesson. She took her usual seat beside him and froze when Edward Cullen took the seat at her other side. Ben Chenney was similarly frozen at having his seat abruptly taken from him. He looked to Jessica for help on what to do next.

Edward turned to Ben and gave him a surprisingly friendly smile. "Is it okay if I sit here today, Ben? I just want to hang out with Jessica for a bit."

Ben seemed to have recovered from his shock and stammered out an agreement before heading to the back of the classroom. Jessica glared at Edward and wondered what he was doing. Wasn't it bad enough she had to breathe in the fumes from his hair gel in Chemistry? Was he going to hound her in every class they had together?

Because they also had German together and she would not hesitate to insult him in two different languages.

Edward gave her that friendly smile he gave Ben. It didn't quite fit on his face. His smile didn't reach his eyes. Today, they were a weird golden color.

"Good morning, Jessica," he said. "How are you today?"

She eyed him warily. "I'm fine."

"That's good. And how is your friend Isabella?"

Wait. He was bothering her cause of Bella? She felt a shock of irritation and indignity.

"Why?" she questioned. "Why do you care?"

"Well, you seem to be good friends with her so I thought maybe you could tell me more about her."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He disappeared for a week and all he wanted to talk about was the new girl in town. She had to be in some bad after school special.

Not knowing what else to do and not wanting to get in trouble for slapping him, she replied, "She's from Arizona, divorced parents, new stepdad, hates the cold, loves classic literature, incredibly clumsy."

He absorbed all the information and prompted, "And?"

"And that's it."

He blinked, his eyebrows furrowed. "That's all you got after a week?"

"That's all there was to find out." She winced at how mean she sounded and tried to amend it, "She can cook. And she said she was part-albino but I'm not sure if she was joking or not."

At his visible disappointment, she added, "She's single if that's what you're after."

"I wasn't–"

"And if you're planning on asking her to Homecoming, there are already two guys ahead of you. Mike probably would've been third if Lauren wouldn't disembowel him."

"I really wasn't–"

"Enough about Bella, let's focus on today's lesson," she told him, opening her textbook. "What are your thoughts on the Spanish influenza?"

After Edward recovered from her quick change in subjects, it turned out that he was very knowledgeable in history. It was almost like he lived through it.

* * *

Bella and Edward were staring at each other across the hallway from their respective lockers. Jessica asked for patience from any deity listening up there and walked up to Bella. She tapped her on the shoulder and Bella nearly hit her head on the lockers behind her as she swerved around and tripped on nothing. Jessica caught her by the shoulders before she fell and hit her face on the floor.

If Bella had a superpower, it was her clumsiness. Jessica would've thought she was faking it with how comically bad it was. She'd seen Bella trip and slip numerous times and nearly fell down to her death when she was running down the stairs that one time. Then there was the time Bella almost broke her hand when she slammed the car door on it.

Jessica wondered how Bella was even a functioning human being at times.

Bella straightened and leaned on the locker for support. "You scared me, Jess."

"Sorry," she replied automatically. "I just came over to tell you that Charlie and my mom are going on a date this Friday so Charlie said we should have a sleepover that night."

"A sleepover?"

Bella said 'sleepover' like it was a disease. Jessica would've been offended if she wasn't too excited at having to spend her night around the other girl. She didn't dislike Bella but they had very few things in common. But Friday night was important for Charlie and her mom so she was going to have to grin and bear it.

She tried to reassure her, "It'll be fun. We'll watch movies and eat pizza. Have a pillow fight if you're into it."

Bella frowned. "I'm not sure if it's a good idea."

"Haven't you had a sleepover before?"

The other girl didn't answer and she realized that Bella really never had a sleepover before. Jessica gathered in the past week that Bella didn't have any friends back in Arizona. She had been a real loner. And it put a different light to why she was so awkward around everyone.

Jessica felt sorry for her. She had friends back in Maine that she'd been sad to leave behind when they moved. The loss was only soothed by immediately being welcomed to her current friend group who had all known each other since kindergarten. She couldn't imagine surviving school without any of her friends especially Lauren and Angela.

"We could make it a group thing with the girls," Jessica suggested. "We usually have sleepovers at Lauren's place because her parents are always out of town and they have this huge TV. We can watch an Austen adaptation, there's that Keira Knightley one that came out a few years ago."

Bella blinked and chewed on her lower lip for a full ten seconds before giving in. "Okay. I guess."

"Great."

Bella went back to making moon-y eyes at Edward. She remarked, "His eyes are topaz today."

"What?"

"They were onyx last week but they're topaz today. Do you think he wears contacts?"

"Probably. Never really noticed."

That wasn't true. Edward's golden eyes were one of the first things Jessica noticed about him when she first saw him aside from his auburn hair. His stupid, gelled up auburn hair. And who cared what colors his eyes were anyway?

Bella, of course. Maybe they could dissuade her from this futile crush during the sleepover. Charlie better make this date the best night of her mom's life. Jessica had better things to do than worry about Bella's romantic troubles.

* * *

It started snowing the night before and Jessica was glad that she was carpooling with Lauren instead of Bella because the latter's truck had little to no heating. Angela baked chocolate chip cookies for Lauren's birthday and they munched on them inside Lauren's car as they waited for class. Bella was by her truck, braving the elements and reading a book. The brunette kept glancing over her shoulder to where Edward was talking to his siblings.

Jessica bit into another cookie and chewed thoughtfully. Was this really her problem?

Angela asked, "Should I bring some cookies over to Bella?"

"No. These are mine," Lauren countered. "And I get to choose who I share them with."

"These are for our friends too. And Bella is our friend."

"Says who?"

Angela chided her, "You're being really mean, Lauren."

"A big meanie," Jessica added mid-chew.

Lauren rolled her hazel eyes and conceded, "Fine. Give Klutzerella a cookie. I'm not getting out of this car though. One of you has to do it."

Angela grimaced. Having the worst circulation out of all of them, she despised the cold. She begged with her big doe eyes and Jessica sighed deeply. The things Jessica did for love. She grabbed a few cookies and braced herself as she got out of the car.

The icy wind made her nearly stumble back. She pushed through and walked across the parking lot to Bella. She met the brunette's brown eyes and was about to hand her the cookies when she heard tires screeching behind her. She turned just as she saw Tyler's blue van coming towards them.

Her last thought was that she was going to kill Tyler before she dropped the cookies and pushed Bella to safety. She saw the front of the van coming closer and knew she couldn't get out of the way. This was going to hurt. She closed her eyes and braced herself for impact.

It never came. Two cold hands wrapped around her middle and pulled her out of the way. She opened her eyes and stared up into Edward's golden eyes. He looked as shocked as she was. His hands dropped from her and he walked away without looking back.

Everyone in the parking lot ran over.

"Jess!" Angela called out as she pulled her into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm…"

She looked and saw Tyler's van had crashed into the side of Bella's truck. Bella was on the ground and being pulled to her feet by Eric. Lauren and Mike were checking on Tyler who was unconscious. Something was itching at the back of her mind but she couldn't quite point it out.

"I'm fine," Jessica said, unsurely. "I think."

Wasn't Edward across the parking lot from them?

How did he get to them so fast?

Something wasn't adding up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's get the plot moving. Jessica has better things to do.
> 
> 1\. If you're new around here, I don't use OCs. Ben Chenney and Katie Marshall are minor characters in the books. They dated Angela and Eric respectively.


	4. Adrenaline Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can Google it.

Jessica was fine but the school didn't want to take chances and sent her and Bella to the hospital to get checked over. Tyler woke up when they arrived and kept apologizing to them. Jessica had to reassure him that it was an accident and she wasn't going to sue him for attempted manslaughter. Then, Dr. Cullen entered the ER.

She had to bite back her giggles because Dr. Cullen did not look a day over twenty-five and had the looks of a movie star. His blond hair was in this swoop style of Hollywood actors of the past and even his voice was buttery smooth. She had nearly fainted from girlish delight when she first met him back in freshman year after a volleyball injury. And every time she saw him over the years for one reason or another she had to remind herself that he was married and had a brood of adopted children.

"Here again, Jessica. A little early for volleyball, isn't it?" he quipped with that dreamy smile. "I suspect you'll be back here before the season is over."

She laughed. "You know me, Doc."

He smiled at her and checked her vitals and after giving her a clean bill of health, he turned to Bella. "And you must be the Sheriff's daughter. Isabella, isn't it?"

"Bella," she corrected.

He checked over her just as Charlie and her mom entered the ER. Her mom made a beeline towards her and pulled her into a hug before fussing over her. Charlie asked Dr. Cullen about injuries and the doctor informed them the girls were completely fine. It was Tyler that had a concussion and had to be observed.

Jessica was thirsty and wanted to get juice from the cafeteria and Bella offered to go with her as their parents signed off on paperwork. Bella stopped when she saw Dr. Cullen talking to Edward. The brunette seemed to be trying to listen in on their conversation. Jessica sighed as Dr. Cullen left and Edward came over.

"What?" he asked briskly.

Bella blinked, her eyebrows furrowing. "How did you get over to us so fast?"

"I was standing right next to you."

Jessica snorted. "No, you weren't. You were across the parking lot with your siblings. I passed by you when I walked over to Bella."

Edward glared at her. "No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were. I distinctly remember you parked your Volvo near Lauren's car which was across the lot from Bella's truck."

"You're confused," Edward insisted. "You nearly died. Your memory wouldn't be the best."

Bella cut in. "We both remember you being across the lot."

Jessica backed her up. "Yes, and neither of us are concussed or 'confused'. Your dad both declared us perfectly healthy."

Edward looked like he was going to have a fit. He sputtered, "I–It was an adrenaline rush. It's a thing. You can Google it. I saw the truck and I ran."

He wasn't wrong. People were known to be able to achieve extraordinary things when the circumstances and adrenaline called for it. The fact he kept trying to deny about being across the lot was weird though.

"I know what I saw," Bella insisted. "You came out of nowhere and pulled Jessica to safety."

"Can't you just thank me for saving Jessica's life and get over it?"

Jessica narrowed her eyes at his smarmy tone. "Jessica says thank you."

 _Asshole_. Next time she was in a near-death situation, he could just stand back and let it happen if he was going to be this prickly after. He already looked like he regretted saving her and that annoyed her more. Instead of gratitude, she wanted to smack him in his smarmy, pale face.

Edward didn't look at Jessica as he remarked, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"No," Bella replied.

"Well, then I hope you enjoy disappointment."

Edward walked away, leaving Bella stunned with how rude he was. Jessica wasn't as surprised and put an arm around Bella's shoulders and ushered her away. Bella had first had experience of what a jerk Edward Cullen could be and hopefully this finally killed her little crush. Jessica would buy them some coffee and they could bitch about Edward and that would be the end of it.

* * *

Everything was back to normal. The Cullens kept to themselves and Jessica and her friends were in a completely different world than them. Edward and Jessica spoke the bare minimum in Chemistry class. Homecoming was next week and Bella turned down both Tyler and Eric, saying that she planned on visiting Port Angeles that day.

Eric asked Angela instead who agreed and Jessica was going with Tyler. It was going to end up a group thing and they were going to have a good time. When Jessica's mom and Charlie learned that Bella was planning on going out of town alone, they tried to persuade her to go another day so that Jessica could go with her. Bella insisted she needed to go to visit some bookstore but Charlie and her mom started talking about crime statistics in Port Angeles and Jessica practically begged Bella to go on another day just to shut them up.

"I don't have a date," Bella tried to reason like she didn't turn down two boys.

"We're going as a group anyway. You won't spend the whole night sitting in a corner," Jessica reassured her. "Besides, you'll be missing out on a cornerstone of high school life – awkward school dances."

"I don't have a dress."

"You can borrow one of mine. Angela and Lauren have something that can fit you if mine are too short."

Jessica's mom offered, "I have a few dresses that might fit you as well, dear."

Bella looked put out but didn't argue anymore. After dinner, Jessica's mom and Bella did the dishes when Charlie asked to speak with Jessica for a moment. They went to the living room and could hear her mom jabber on to Bella who was quietly sulking.

"Is this about Friday?" Jessica asked. "You're not getting cold feet, are you?"

Charlie shook his head, smiling slightly. "Friday is all good. I wanted to talk to you about the accident."

Jessica wondered if Bella told Charlie about Edward's adrenaline rush and how Bella continued to refuse to believe it was anything else but that. Weirder things had happened really. Bella was getting too worked up over nothing.

"Bella told me that you saved her. You pushed her away from the van."

"Oh." Jessica hadn't expected that. "I just reacted. It's nothing really."

"I disagree. Thank you, Jess."

He smiled at her, one of rare smiles that was warm and lit up his face. Charlie was a serious and quiet man but that didn't mean he was cold.

"And thanks for helping Bella with all the other stuff."

"I can't say I've been bored she's moved here so there's that."

Bella did keep things interesting even if most of it left Jessica bewildered and exasperated.

He chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. "You're a good kid."

She smiled and gave him a little salute. "No problem, Sheriff."

* * *

The go-to field trip destination for their town was the Forks Timber Museum as it didn't require them to plan an out of town trip. Unlike Anacortes or Tacoma, there wasn't an array of museums to choose from and going to Seattle for the Space Needle was out of the question. The Timber Museum was where they ended up. They didn't even try to feign excitement, only relief at having an excuse to miss class.

Bella was the only who had never been and they didn't even try to make the trip sound more interesting than it was. It was a ten minute drive and they arrived at what looked like an old house. The statue of two men sawing a large rock with the _Forks Timber Museum_ sign greeted them. They got into line entering the museum, slowly walking through while the museum's operator told them about the history of logging in their town.

Old tools, some rusting were placed reverently on the walls like the antiques that they were. They walked up to the firewatch tower that was meant to appear like a small house on the inside with the bedroom that had bunk beds. There was a kitchen with the metal stove complete with fake pancakes. There was even an ugly doll with orange hair to induce nightmares.

They were walking back from the tower in pairs. Edward and Bella were in front of Jessica and Angela and they were whispering to each other. It didn't really do any good because they could still be heard.

"Are you going to tell me about how you got to the van so fast?" Bella asked.

"I told you it was an adrenaline rush."

"I don't believe that."

Jessica and Angela shared a look. Bella nearly tripped as she walked forward and Edward caught her by the arm before she could fall to her death.

"Could you at least watch where you walk?" Edward sighed, frustrated. "Look, I'm sorry I'm being rude all the time but I just think this is for the best."

"For what?"

"We shouldn't be friends."

Bella stammered, "W-What?"

Edward turned away from her and Bella was so annoyed she walked away, pushing past people in front of her to leave the tower and back to the museum.

Angela looked worried and told Jessica, "I'm going to go check on her."

Her best friend left leaving Jessica and Edward standing at the tower. Their classmates had gone down and it was only a few people that lingered. Jessica leaned on the railing and looked at the view. She could see most of the town from there.

She expected Edward to leave but he didn't. He was looking at the view as well. She took the time to look at him. She could forget how good-looking Edward really was because of his personality.

He was classically handsome with his high cheekbones, broad jaw, the full lips, and the Roman nose. There was a coldness to him that seemed bone-deep. He looked like the statues she saw in bigger museums when she was a child. Alabaster white, perfectly sculpted, and lifeless.

No real substance.

His eyebrows furrowed before his golden gaze met hers. "Do you think I'm unfeeling, Jessica?'

"Maybe. You do a good job of making people not want to be around you."

"It's not that I want to be but I have to."

"Why?"

"It's better for everyone."

"You don't want any friends?"

"I don't and I can't let people get close."

She paused and tried to make sense of his answers. Maybe he wasn't just uninterested in girls. He was uninterested in people as a whole. What made Edward Cullen hate people?

She remembered that he was a foster kid. He was an orphan and he might've gone through something bad before he was adopted by the Cullens. She supposed that was enough reason to push everyone away. It was easier to protect yourself than allow people in to hurt you again.

"You know, Cullen," she said. "That way of thinking has to be very lonely."

He stilled before he acquiesced, "I know."

She smiled wryly. "There are only so many times a girl can take rejection. Try to keep away from, Bella, okay? I don't think she can handle you messing with her head so much."

"I don't mean to–"

"I know but I would rather not have to sic Lauren on you. She'd set you on fire for giggles," she told him. "Less regret for saving a girl you don't like."

He stared at her in disbelief. "You think I regret saving you?"

"Don't you?"

"You don't know anything."

"I think I know a little too much and that's what annoys you."

"You're wrong."

"Am I?"

He turned to leave and she grabbed at the sleeve of his grey coat. Their hands made contact and she gasped as she felt herself being pulled into a different place. She was in the high school and she was startled when she saw herself walking down the hallway. From the rhinestone headband and the shirt she was wearing, she recognized this was back in freshman year.

Her younger self stopped in front of Edward Cullen who was at his locker and reading a book. "Hi. You're Edward, right? I'm Jessica."

Younger Edward looked up from his book with a blank expression. Younger Jessica prattled on. "I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie this weekend?"

"No," he replied. "I'm not interested."

Her younger self's face fell. "No?"

"No. Never."

"Oh." Younger Jessica nodded as she took in the blow. "Okay."

Jessica frowned as she watched her younger self run away. This was more brutal than she remembered. Her younger self had to be crying in the girl's bathroom. She turned back to Younger Edward who went back to reading his book.

"Asshole," she muttered.

"Thanks."

She nearly jumped when she saw Edward beside her. He was looking around the hallway suspiciously and his golden eyes burned into her.

"How are you doing this?" he demanded.

"Doing what?"

He waved a hand around erratically. "We're in a memory. How. Did. You. Do. This?"

She looked at him like he was insane. "I don't know."

He let out a growl and grabbed her hand. She felt the iciness of his skin before they were being pulled away and they were back at the firewatch tower. She dropped Edward's hand like he was diseased, eyes wide as her brain tried to figure out what just happened. Edward moved closer to her and she stepped back, his intense gaze made her uncomfortable.

She bumped into somebody behind her and saw it was Alice. The shorter girl smiled brightly at her. "Hi. Are you getting on the bus? It's leaving soon."

Jessica didn't need to be told twice. She ran past Edward and tried to put as much distance between them as she could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's a lot to unpack.
> 
> 1\. A lot of Bella and Edward's convo is taken straight from the movie.
> 
> 2\. I substituted the field trip in Biology class to them going to the Forks Timber Museum which is a real place.


	5. At First Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girl talk is real talk.

The boys really wanted to go to La Push that weekend so they made plans to meet up there the day after the sleepover. Unsurprisingly, Bella could not understand why they were so eager to go surfing when it was freezing. They tried to explain to her that the threat of hypothermia was half the fun. Angela had to reassure her that they could just stay in the car and drink soup while the rest of them enjoyed themselves.

When Friday finally came along, Jessica was looking for Bella after class so they could ride together to Lauren's house. She found her at her locker talking to Edward Cullen. For Pete's sake, could the universe just give Jessica a break? She had her mom's upcoming engagement that night to think about and an important volleyball game next week. She did not need this.

"We're going to La Push tomorrow," Bella said. "You should come."

Edward's face had a little spasm, his mouth frowning and his eyebrows furrowing. "I don't go to La Push."

Bella's eyes fluttered as she blinked. "Why not?"

"It's the beach…I don't like sand. It gets everywhere." Edward frowned. "And it's just not a good idea for me to be there."

"But-"

"No."

Edward turned away and nearly bumped into Jessica who sent him an irritated look before he swerved around her like an overgrown eel. She glared at his retreating back _. Adios, asshole_. She was grateful the Cullens were such snobs as she did not want her beach time invaded by Edward and the tiny birds that wanted to lay sulfurous eggs in his hair.

Bella looked put out and was despondently staring down the hallway where Edward disappeared. Hope sprung eternal in this one.

Jessica turned Bella the other way and pushed her forward. "Come on, Swan. We have a sleepover to get to."

Bella let out a groan of misery and Jessica elected to ignore it.

They got into Bella's truck and Jessica directed her to the Mallorys' home which was near Highway 101. It was a large nicely furnished six bedroom redwood house with a back patio that overlooked a large garden. It used to be a B&B before the family that owned it went bankrupt and had to sell it. It sat empty on the market for a few years until the Mallorys moved from Seattle to Forks when Lauren was three.

Bella parked her truck in the driveway and Lauren let them in. Angela had ordered pizza and they set up the TV and DVD player for their movie night. They got a copy of the _Pride and Prejudice_ film for Bella. While they waited for the pizza, they helped Angela bake brownies.

Bella had never baked before and Angela patiently thought her what to do. Jessica was helping herself to some of the chocolate chips. Lauren was texting on her phone. Jessica grabbed her phone from her.

The blonde glared at her. "Hey. Give it back."

"No phones during sleepovers, remember? Only for emergencies," Jessica reminded her and looked at the screen to confirm her suspicions for who her friend was texting. "And I see you and Mike are back together again."

Lauren snatched her phone back. "We're not."

Jessica gave her a look. "But we know you will eventually."

Angela placed the tray in the oven before beginning to work on chocolate frosting. She explained to Bella, "Lauren and Mike have been together since middle school and they periodically break-up and get back together."

"The sky is blue and Lauren and Mike get back together. It's one of the most reliable things in life," Jessica quipped.

Lauren rolled her eyes and replied, "It's over for good this time."

Even Angela looked at her skeptically and Lauren insisted, "It's true. College isn't too far off and we're not going to the same school. Long distance wouldn't work out so we've decided it's better to end things before it gets really messy."

Angela nodded sagely and told Bella, "Mike is hoping to get into UCLA."

"Not anymore," Lauren said. "He wants to go to university in London.

"London?" Jessica echoed. "He doesn't even know anyone there."

"He says he has relatives there and Mike has always talked about leaving Forks and seeing the world."

Angela who had been quiet looked disturbed by this information. "He didn't tell me about London."

Mike and Angela had a special relationship. Their parents were best friends and they'd known each other their entire lives as a result. They had a close sibling-like relationship. Angela was genuinely hurt that Mike hadn't told her of his college plans.

Jessica tried to reassure her, "He's probably going to tell you eventually. Maybe he just didn't want to get his hopes up if London doesn't go through."

Angela gave a little smile but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sure."

Thankfully, the pizza came and they were saved from that awkwardness. They ate while watching the Austen film. The confession scene with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth was uncomfortable.

Bella looked thoughtful. "She should've said yes to the proposal, shouldn't she?"

Jessica looked at her in disbelief. "Why would she? He insulted her entire family."

"Yes, but he wanted to be with her in spite of all her flaws."

"He's not exactly perfect himself," Lauren pointed out. "She's supposed to be grateful that he's willing to marry her even though she's poor and her family's an embarrassment? She would have no self-respect if she did that."

Bella frowned. "But he loves her."

Angela mused, "Maybe he loves the idea of her. They haven't really spent that much time around each other so they only have these incomplete ideas of who the other person is."

"I agree," Lauren replied. "I believe you don't know who a person is until you've been around them for a while. Love that happens instantly is unreliable. It'd be putting your trust in this one moment and hoping you're not wrong."

Bella sighed. "But can't you just _know_?"

"How can you _know_ when you don't know the person?"

"Listen to Lauren," Jessica agreed. "She's the one who's had experience dating someone for years. And she's brutally honest so you know she's never making things up."

Lauren took a sip of her soda. "I don't believe in love-at-first-sight. Call me unromantic or whatever. Love that grows gradually and you work for makes more sense and has lasting power."

Angela smiled. "My parents have that kind of relationship."

Jessica smiled wistfully and added, "Mine did too."

Bella looked down as she admitted, "Mine didn't."

Lauren reached over and patted Bella on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Swan. You're not your parents. You're not going to end up like them. You'll find your person."

"How will I know they're my person?"

"As I said, you have to get to know them," she answered. "Love is a waiting game."

Jessica inwardly sighed as she watched Bella's thoughts play out on her face. Lauren had no idea she had all but encouraged Bella to keep going after Edward Cullen. Bella seemed to think Edward was Mr. Darcy and she just needed to keep pushing till he became the man of her dreams. It didn't matter how Edward pushed and pulled on her like a yo-yo for his own sadistic amusement.

Bella was a girl infatuated and nothing could stop her.

* * *

Jessica woke up early the next morning to help Angela make soup and hot chocolate for their beach trip. Her mom called her to tell her about the engagement and Jessica feigned surprise and congratulated her. Jessica refused to even think about wedding plans as she was sure to start spiraling. She didn't know how Bella was going to react to the news and left that up to Charlie.

Lauren and Bella woke up after they finished with the soup. Angela texted Mike to get supplies for s'mores and they loaded into Lauren's car to go to La Push. Bella had no plans to get into the water and declined borrowing one of Lauren's wetsuits. The boys were already there and they greeted them as they unloaded the surf boards.

"Hey, Bella," Tyler said. "Are you going surfing with us?"

Bella shook her head. "I'm staying here with Ang. I'm not really a surfing person."

Angela and Bella sat on a log at the beach huddled together under a quilt as they drank hot chocolate from a thermos. Lauren was the first into the water and followed by Mike. Tyler and Eric braced themselves before going in and immediately yelped at the cold. Jessica eyed the waves as they met the shore and she wadded slowly into the water despite the shooting pains crawling up her limbs.

As what always happened when they went surfing, Mike and Lauren would compete at who could stay on their boards the longest. Tyler and Eric would squabble and try to drown each other. Jessica would keep getting knocked back by the waves and curse everything and everyone. She was back on the shore and she sullenly carried her board, dragging it on the sand.

Angela and Bella were talking about Homecoming of all things.

"You should ask him," Angela suggested. "You're a strong, independent woman."

Bella frowned. "What if he says no?"

Jessica asked, "Who will say no?"

Angela explained. "Bella wants to go to Homecoming with Edward."

Jessica shrugged. Edward would definitely say no. Aside from the fact, he didn't date anyone he didn't go to school dances either. There was something very distinctly out of place about the idea of Edward Cullen at a school dance.

If Bella wanted to ask him, she could go for it. All she had to lose was her dignity.

Angela's mouth opened in surprise as she looked at something far off. "I could swear those Quileute boys did not look like that last time we were here."

Jessica turned and saw Jacob with his friends coming over. They were all tall with tanned muscles shown off by the fact they were only wearing cut-offs. They had to be freezing. Jessica was visibly shivering and Angela handed her a cup of hot chocolate to warm up.

She had forgotten she had been planning to introduce him to Angela. She had been too distracted. She finally found a boy that was a lot taller than her best friend. It was meant to be.

With her free hand, she waved at the boys. "Hi, Jacob!"

Jacob smiled when they came closer. "Hi again."

"Jacob, this is Angela. Angie, this is Jacob," she introduced them, eagerly. "And that's Bella."

He gave a sunny smile to Angela who returned it before addressing Bella, "I'm Billy's son. We used to make mud pies when we were little."

"Oh." Bella smiled awkwardly. "Right."

"He's also the one who Charlie bought your truck from," Jessica chimed in before trying to redirect his focus back to the right brunette. "Angie made this great soup and we have s'mores later. Would you like to join us?"

Jacob turned to his friends and they nodded. He smiled again. "I think we can spare a few hours."

Lauren came over, carrying her board. She dropped it to the sand and squeezed her hair to get the water out. She remarked, "The waves are brutal today."

It happened quickly. Jacob looked at her, his brown eyes staring directly into Lauren's hazel irises. His eyes widened in shock before he gasped like he'd been punched in the stomach and he fell to his knees. His friends hovered over him worriedly.

Jacob continued to stare up at Lauren and she asked, "What happened to him?"

One of his friends muttered, "I think you did."

Lauren heard him just fine.

"Excuse me," Lauren narrowed her eyes at the Quileute boy. "What did you just say?"

Jacob finally recovered from whatever was going on with him and got to his feet, shaking off his friends. He moved closer to Lauren who stared up at him warily. Lauren wasn't short at five foot eight but Jacob was seven feet tall and she had to tilt her chin up to meet his gaze. He smiled softly.

"Hi. I'm Jacob."

"I'm Lauren," the blonde replied. "Have we met before?"

He shook his head, still smiling. "I would remember if we did."

He shook her hand but didn't let go. Lauren took a full minute before pulling away, she looked a little shaken. Jessica watched the interaction bewildered and wondering what just happened. She looked over to where Angela was still sitting on the log with Bella and her friend wasn't put out or anything that Jacob barely gave her any attention.

The Quileute boys helped them make a bonfire and Angela gave out cups of soup as they made s'mores. Jacob hadn't left Lauren's side and he said something that made the blonde laugh. Mike didn't look happy at the sight of his ex with somebody else but didn't say anything. Well, at least Jacob liked one of her friends even if it wasn't the one Jessica had been hoping for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of girl bonding in this chapter. It's important to have female friends, Bella. They'll do you a world of good.
> 
> 1\. Edward's line about sand is from Star Wars.
> 
> 2\. Jessica's insult about small birds laying sulfurous eggs is from Glee.


	6. Sister Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have to face facts, Bella

The problem with small towns was that everyone knew each other and word got around fast. Sheriff Swan and Joan Stanley's engagement was bound to reach everyone's ears before the end of the week. It really put a bummer on who to invite for the wedding as people might get offended at being snubbed. Jessica realized that planning a wedding was more stressful than she anticipated.

Both her mom and Charlie insisted it would be a small affair but considering how they were friendly with most people in town, they needed to assess which neighbors they could afford not to send an invitation to. Jessica's mom asked her to be her maid-of-honor which left her both touched and panicking. Jessica was used to planning events as she was the head of many school clubs and was Student Body Vice President. Her mom's wedding to the Sheriff was a whole new ballpark.

They had to pick a date, venue, catering, flowers, clothes, and that accursed guest list. Even the informal small gathering they wanted still required planning. Jessica half-wished they just took a trip to Town Hall and call it a day. It didn't matter because her mom deserved a perfect wedding day and Jessica would just have to deal with the stress.

Jessica had collected every bridal magazine she could get her hands on and her mom was leafing through them idly as Jessica wrote down ideas on her clipboard.

"Are we sure about the venue?"

"Garden wedding at the back of Charlie's house. There's plenty of room," her mother replied.

"This is Forks. An outdoor wedding would be wet and freezing."

"We've decided on a summer wedding."

Jessica paused and wrote that down. That was six months away. It sounded like a lot of time but she knew it would fly by quicker than she'd like. They still had to pick an exact date.

"What about guests that are coming from out of town?" Jessica asked. "Like Uncle Joseph and his kids? What about Grandma Eleanor?"

Her mother turned to her and remarked, "I haven't told them about the wedding yet. I'm not sure your grandmother would even want to travel this far. She hates the cold and Forks will never be warm enough for her."

Grandma Eleanor had retired to Florida years ago and she was hard-pressed to leave the state if she didn't have to. Still, it was the wedding of her only daughter and youngest child.

"Do you think Poppa Everett and Nana Caroline will want to come?"

Her mother frowned. "I don't know, love. It might be a little awkward."

"Right. Since your last wedding was…"

Her mother nodded and smiled lightly. "And it was a mess. A wonderful mess."

"Why? What happened?"

She heard vague details of her parents' wedding over the years but never the full story. Mostly her parents either laughed off any questions or told her that it wasn't important. She wished she had been more persistent with her dad. She wanted to hear more of his stories.

"Oh, it's silly," her mother tried to deflect and Jessica nudged her arm. "We were young and stupid. It's nothing you need to hear about it."

"But I want to," Jessica insisted, trying to hide her eager desperation. "Tell me. Please."

Her mother had always been good at hearing what she didn't say aloud and acquiesced. "I suppose your old enough for this story. First thing that went wrong was your dad had the worst hangover from the night before. He and Joseph had gone drinking…"

Jessica listened attentively, taking in every word. She put down her clipboard and they ignored the bridal magazines. Those could wait.

* * *

Jessica was at her locker to get her textbooks when Bella appeared looking anxious. The brunette chewed on her lower lip worriedly. Jessica looked beyond her to see if Edward Cullen was skulking about again. He hadn't listened to her warning him away from Bella and she was this close to punching him on his square jaw.

It turned out that he wasn't what Bella was concerned about. She asked, "Did you know that Charlie was going to propose?"

Jessica paused, thinking about how best to answer. She knew she had to be delicate about this which wasn't really her strong suit.

"Charlie had been planning it for weeks," she explained. "Before you moved here. He ended up delaying it cause we were all focused on getting you settled in."

That made Bella frown. "He told you but not me?"

Jessica shrugged, smiling. "He wanted my opinion on the ring cause he didn't want to get my mom something she wouldn't like."

"But why didn't he tell me?" Bella questioned. "I've been here for a few weeks and he didn't say anything. He could've given me a hint."

"He thought you were going through enough. He didn't want to overwhelm you."

"I don't need to be coddled. I've been taking care of myself my entire life. I would rather Charlie, you, or anyone else not treat me like an idiot."

"That's not what we meant to do-"

"But who cares what I think, right?" Bella retorted. "Charlie has a new family and a new daughter to think about. Why would he bother telling me anything?"

Jessica stared at her in shock. She looked over and saw their classmates were watching their scene. She closed her locker quickly and grabbed Bella's arm and dragged her to the girl's bathroom. Bella shook her off and leaned against the tiled wall sullenly.

Jessica tried to think about what to say. She put her foot in her mouth more often than not. Angie was the one who was good at these kinds of talks. She wished Charlie hadn't put her in this position. He had a habit of avoiding uncomfortable topics and it could really be inconvenient.

"Bella, whatever you think is happening isn't it at all," she reasoned. "Charlie's not trying to replace you with me. He loves you."

"He likes you more. I can see it. He talks about how smart you are and how you're going to Stanford for college," Bella grumbled. "He talks about you like a proud father. It's always Jess this and Jess that."

She was honestly touched. She had been apprehensive when her mom started dating Charlie but when she saw how he took care of her mom and made her happy she grew to like him. She eventually saw Charlie as a nice uncle that would take them on fishing trips and fixed things around the house like an unpaid handyman. She knew Charlie was fond of her but she didn't know he saw her more than just his girlfriend's kid.

Bella continued bitterly, "And why wouldn't he want to replace you with me? You're the future valedictorian who's in a hundred different clubs and is just good at everything. How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"It's not a competition, Bella."

"But it is!" Bella exclaimed. "People never choose me. My mom didn't. That's why I'm here. She chose Phil over me. So why would I expect Charlie to choose me either?"

Things were beginning to make sense. Bella had been hiding all her resentment and anger at her mom for sending her to Forks instead of being a parent to her. All that hurt had been bidding its time inside of her waiting for a chance to lash out. Jessica understood what it felt like to bottle up emotions until you were powerless to keep them in anymore.

"Charlie is not like your mom," Jessica told her. "He loves you. When he found out you were moving here, all he cared about was decorating your room and getting you a truck. He wanted to make sure you were settled in before he dropped this on you."

Bella opened her mouth to retort and Jessica raised her hand and signaled her to stop as she continued, "I could never replace you. This is not a competition. You are Charlie's daughter and you will always come first to him. He is a good guy but he can never replace my father."

The brunette didn't seem to know what to say. She deflated against the wall like a sad balloon. Jessica didn't know whether she should pull her into a hug or just pat her on the arm. Bella tended to shy away from physical affection much like Charlie.

"Did you react this way when your mom married your stepdad?"

Bella shook her head. "No."

"Did you want to?"

There was a pause that sounded a lot like 'yes'.

Jessica smiled. "I get it. Your mom married a younger man. Did you know my mom is five years older than Charlie?"

Bella snorted. "Phil isn't even thirty."

"We have to face facts, Bella," Jessica sighed flippantly. "Our moms are cougars."

Bella's laugh wasn't loud. It was breathy and husky. Bella had been pretty even when she was regularly dour but the smile transformed her, lighting up her whole face. Jessica realized that Bella Swan would have more boys asking her to dances if she smiled like that all the time.

And Jessica was grateful Bella didn't. She didn't think she could compete.

Bella stopped laughing and bowed her head slightly, her dark hair covering her face slightly. She conceded, "I may have overreacted about Charlie's engagement."

"Just a bit." Jessica looked at her watch and nearly yelped. "And hopefully Mr. Monroe doesn't overreact to us being very late to his class."

Bella didn't need to be told twice as they left the bathroom and virtually sprinted down the hallway.

* * *

Bella seemed contrite about her reaction to the engagement and she offered to help Jessica and her mom make dinner when she and Charlie came over the next night. Her mom taught Bella how to make meat balls as she told her about the last fishing trip with Charlie. Jessica worked on chopping vegetables as Charlie made the gravy. It was a cozy little scene all four of them in the kitchen with her mom filling the silence with funny little anecdotes that Charlie occasionally had to correct in order to clear his name.

They had a pleasant dinner before Jessica and Bella went to her room to look over dress options for the Homecoming dance that weekend. The problem was that Jessica was shorter than Bella and some of dresses would be too short on her. Bella didn't really want anything that fell mid-thigh nor would it be allowed by the school. Jessica considered calling Lauren since Angie's dresses would be too long on any of them.

Her mom finally pulled them into her room and showed them dresses from her closet instead. She and Bella were about the same height and they could take in anything too loose. Bella tried on a few options before they settled on a sleeveless dark blue dress. Bella studied her reflection on the full length mirror.

Her mom pinned the dress around her to where she would have to go over it with the sewing machine. She remarked, "So skinny. I used to be this thin too."

Jessica snorted. "When?"

Her mom wasn't overweight but she wasn't an hourglass shape. She had narrow hips, a small waist, and an ample chest. Jessica had inherited the same body type and neither of them would be considered willowy like Bella was. Bella could've been a model if she was taller.

Her mother gave her a look before she went back to Bella. She finished pinning the dress and looked at Bella's reflection in the mirror. She reached over and pulled Bella's long hair up in a messy bun with some strands artfully falling around her face. Her mom smiled and said, "There. Very pretty."

Bella slowly smiled back, her voice a bit wobbly as she replied, "Thanks."

"Now, shoes." Jessica's mom turned away and went back to her closet and pulled out a pair of black sandals. "Hopefully these fit you."

Bella looked apprehensive. "I can't wear heels. I'll trip."

Jessica nodded sagely. "It's true."

It wouldn't do well that Bella's first school dance would end with her falling face first on the dance floor. She might expire from the embarrassment.

"I'll just wear my sneakers," Bella said. "But thank you for the dress."

Her mom waved her off. "It looks better on you than it ever did on me anyway."

Bella left the dress for Jessica's mom to tailor. Jessica walked her outside to the police car. Charlie was still inside where her mom was wrapping him some leftover pie to go. Bella shuffled her feet as she avoided looking Jessica in the eye.

"Hey, Jess," she murmured. "Thanks for, um, everything. You've been really nice to me even when I'm…you know."

"No problem," Jessica easily deflected. "What are sisters for, right?"

Bella paused as she took that information in. She hadn't quite comprehended that they were going to be sisters soon enough.

"I've never had a sister before."

"Me either. I guess we'll have to figure that out together."

Bella looked contemplative and concluded, "I guess we will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Edward in this chapter. This was all about Jessica and Bella's relationship.
> 
> 1\. Phil's exact age is never revealed in the series aside from the fact he's younger than Renee who is about 35 in the first Twilight book. Charlie is about 36-37. They were teen parents and that's canon.


	7. Hurricane Lauren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lauren, you little she-demon.

"Hey, Jess." Mike leaned on the locker beside hers and grinned at her. "How you doing?"

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What do you want?"

"Who says I want anything?" Mike replied, flippantly. He flashed her his blue-eyed wounded puppy look. "Can't I just want to know how my favorite girl in Forks is doing?"

"First of all, your Joey Tribbiani impression needs some work. Second, if you don't tell me what you're really after, I'm walking away."

"Jessica."

"Michael."

He gave in. "Is Lauren dating that Jacob guy?"

She pretended not to know what he was talking about. She replied coyly, "Jacob who?"

"The Quileute guy with the muscles and long hair." He ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. "Should I grow out my hair and get a tan?"

"And bulk up."

He stared at her in disbelief. "Whose side are you on, Stanley?"

"Lauren's and she would kill me if I break girl code and tell her ex anything about her current love life."

"So, she is dating him."

"I can neither confirm nor deny if she is or isn't dating anyone."

"We haven't been permanently 'over' for too long. How can she just move on like that?" Mike asked, looking hurt. "We've been together since we were thirteen. We were each other's first everything and now she's acting like we never happened."

"You know that's not true. Lauren cares about you even if she's really terrible at showing it."

Lauren was allergic to vulnerability. She had walls that stretched out miles around her. Even those that had known her for years and were allowed to get close could never get the full picture of her. Jessica wondered if anyone truly saw all of Lauren or the blonde would never allow that to happen.

Mike looked away. "I don't know."

Jessica nudged him on the arm and smiled encouragingly. "Just think about the fact you'll be in London after next year and you might fall in love with some pretty British girl."

"Lauren told you about London?"

"And Angie seemed really hurt you didn't tell her about it."

Mike winced. "I didn't want to tell everyone my plans especially if they don't go through. I don't want to be the almost guy. No one likes the almost guy."

That was true. Jessica was terrified of not being accepted into Stanford and being the girl that almost got into Stanford. No one liked the almost guy. It was somehow worse than the guy who didn't even bother trying.

"Anyway, what I really wanted to know is if Lauren wanted to go to Homecoming with Jacob instead? I'd rather not be dumped before I can find another date."

"She doesn't say anything." Then Jessica corrected herself, "I can neither confirm nor deny if she has other plans for Homecoming."

Mike looked contemplative. "Maybe I could ask Bella to go with me. She's cute."

"I didn't think you liked her."

"She's alright," he replied. "And since my ex may or may not be going to Homecoming with someone else, I have to keep my options open. Unless Bella already has a date?"

"We're all going as a group thing which you can do with us."

"Any expectations?"

"What expectations did you have with Lauren?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "What about it, Stanley?"

She groaned in disgust and smacked him on the arm. "Not in this lifetime, Newton."

"So, that's a maybe?"

"Girl code. Lauren would murder both of us and they'd never find our bodies."

He shrugged. "Could be worth it."

She rolled her eyes and closed her locker and turned to leave. "Still no."

* * *

They had really good weather that week and the Cullens were on their family camping trip. Jessica took the time to soak in the limited sunlight like a deprived sunflower. Bella looked put out at the absence of Edward as she didn't get the chance to ask him to Homecoming. Jessica was unsuccessful in persuading her that the Cullens didn't go to dances.

Lauren was nominated for Homecoming Princess which wasn't a big surprise. Mike and Tyler were both nominated for Homecoming Prince. Rosalie Hale was nominated for Homecoming Queen which had to be some kind of joke as she never talked to anyone. Rosalie didn't end up winning but Mike and Lauren did which they announced that Friday before the Homecoming game.

Bella had little to no interest in football but still sat on the bleachers with them for the game. Angela brought a thermos of hot chocolate which they drank during the game. Eric took photos as Jessica tried her best to explain what was going on to Bella. Lauren was cheering the loudest which was mostly veiled death threats for the other team.

After the game and in higher spirits, they decided to go to the Home Slice for pizza. They were walking to their cars in the lot when Bella stopped. Edward Cullen was walking towards them.

He gave an awkward smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hi."

"Hi," Bella replied. "You're back."

He nodded. "I'm back."

Bella bit her bottom lip before asking, "Did you have a good time camping?"

He nodded again with that awkward smile that was making Jessica uncomfortable. "Yes, I did. I had a good time with nature with the trees and…deer."

Jessica questioned jokingly, "You didn't run into any wolves?"

His eyebrows furrowed. "No wolves. There might've been a mountain lion or two in the area but we took care of them."

That was an odd phrase. "Did you mean you took care around them?"

"Yes. That's what I said."

Okay, whatever. Jessica wasn't in the mood to try and decipher the mystery that was Edward Cullen. She just wanted some greasy pizza and to call it a night.

She nudged Bella on the arm and nodded to where their friends were by their cars. "We should go, Bells. Everyone's waiting."

Bella looked between where their friends were standing to Edward. She looked conflicted. "Do you wanna, um, hang out with us?"

Edward's mouth opened slightly in surprise. Bella rambled on, "We're just getting some pizza. It's totally not a big thing. Just a post-game celebration for Mike and Tyler cause they're, um, on the team."

Jessica tried not to groan. Edward caught her eye and she realized he was almost asking for permission. Bella was giving her a pleading look. Somehow it was up to her to decide on what was about to happen.

She looked between Bella's doe eyes and Edward's disturbingly intense golden gaze before nodding reluctantly. "You should totally come with us, Cull- Edward. It'll be fun."

Actually she already knew it was going to be more awkward then it currently was. There was no way to tell Edward they didn't like him without coming off as incredibly rude. And her mom raised her better than that. It was just for some pizza and it would be over before she knew it.

* * *

Jessica's friends all stared at her like she had three heads when she told them Edward was going with them. They all strived for politeness but even sweet Angela looked confused about the turn of events. The Cullens didn't hang out outside of themselves. And this was an anomaly they didn't know how to deal with.

Jessica didn't know what to do in general as she sat between Edward and Bella at the backseat of Lauren's car. The five minute drive to the Home Slice was thankfully short-lived and they all went inside to share a table. Jessica ended up at the rear end of the table and was forced to watch the awkward small talk between Edward and Bella. She munched on her slice of pizza and snuck glances at her watch for when this would end.

The boys were recounting highlights of the game. There was that mischievous gleam in Lauren's hazel eyes that made Jessica nervous. Jessica shook her head at her but it just encouraged the blonde to do whatever she was planning. There was no stopping Lauren when she had an idea.

The blonde leaned her chin on the palm of her hand and began, "So, Edward…"

Edward stiffened as he met Lauren's eyes. He asked, apprehensively, "Yes?"

"Did you enjoy the game? I don't think we saw you."

"I was just around." He coughed. "It was a good game."

Lauren raised an eyebrow. "We just aren't used to seeing you so involved with school events. It's nice to know you're making more of an effort this year."

Edward's eyebrows furrowed. "I wouldn't want to miss out on making memories."

The blonde nodded. "And speaking of making memories, are you going to the dance tomorrow?"

 _Lauren, you little she-demon_. Jessica glared daggers at her friend. She leaned back in her chair and sullenly glared at her half-eaten pizza slice. She took a bite and concentrated on chewing, wanting to zone out of what was about to happen.

"Not really," Edward replied.

"That's too bad. We're all going as a group thing. You should come with us."

"I don't know about that…"

"Come on, Cullen. It'll be so much fun."

And just like that Hurricane Lauren had struck again. Edward ended up agreeing to going to the Homecoming dance with them much to Bella's barely concealed delight. Jessica shook her head in exasperation. She hadn't been expecting a part two to this mess but she should've known better.

Jessica reached for a French fry and threw it at Lauren where it landed in her blonde hair. Lauren glared at her murderously. Without missing a beat, Mike fished the fry out of her hair and ate it as he continued talking about his touchdown that won them the game.

Jessica shrugged nonchalantly. "Whoops. Sorry, Laur. My hand slipped."

Lauren was reaching for a butter knife but Angela slapped her hand away from committing homicide. Jessica took a sip of her milkshake and they exchanged glares.

Lauren turned back to Edward who seemed to be reconsidering why he came along and asked, "Do you not like the pizza?"

He looked down at his untouched plate. He hadn't taken one bite. "It's not that. I ate earlier and I'm still full."

Tyler piped up, "I'll eat it if you don't want to."

Edward practically threw the slice of pizza on Tyler's plate with surprising accuracy. "All yours."

"Thanks, man."

Edward talked to Bella about how she was going to get to the dance. He offered to pick her up and Bella sputtered in excitement before agreeing. Lauren was giving Jessica knowing looks. Jessica was reaching for a butter knife but Angela slapped her hand away from committing homicide.

"So cute," Lauren mouthed to her.

"Fuck off," Jessica mouthed back.

"Stop it," Angela mouthed at them.

It took another half-hour before they left the Home Slice. Edward insisted that one of his siblings was picking him up and stayed in the parking lot as they drove off. Bella watched him from the rear window and Jessica inwardly shuddered at the disappearing sight of him. He still had major serial killer feels.

She would not want to be alone with him in any parking lot, night or day.

Lauren was still unsatisfied with the night's mischief and asked, "Are you excited about the dance, Bella?"

Bella smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing a bit. "I think I am."

"Isn't that great?" Lauren met Jessica's eyes in the rear view mirror. "Right, Jess?"

Jessica wondered why she was friends with Lauren Mallory. Oh right. Small town. Few choices.

Lauren said brightly, "Tomorrow is gonna be so much fun."

Jessica should've really stayed at home instead.

Or maybe she should've never left Maine.


	8. Like A Movie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of an era.

Bella was clueless when it came to makeup which was why she was over at Jessica’s house getting ready for the Homecoming dance. Jessica applied light makeup on Bella as her mom curled her dark hair with an iron. When they were done, Bella’s hair was up in a pretty, messy bun and the red lipstick contrasted against her fair skin. Bella looked really pretty in her mom’s sleeveless dress and the brunette stared at her reflection doubtfully.

Jessica’s mom pushed Bella’s shoulders back lightly. “Don’t slouch. It’s bad for your posture.”

Bella smiled and looked down at her dress, running her hands down the skirt. “Thanks for the dress.”

Joan returned her smile. “No problem, dear.”

Jessica looked at the clock and nearly groaned. She still had to get ready. She didn’t want to have to keep her ride waiting. The doorbell rang and Jessica and Bella went to the window to see Edward’s Volvo parked outside.

Joan remarked, “That must be your date.”

Bella rushed to put on her sneakers as Joan let Edward into the house. Jessica watched as Bella went downstairs. Edward stared at her as Bella fidgeted nervously. Finally, he remarked, “You look perfect.”

Bella blushed prettily and smiled. “Thanks.”

Jessica stayed upstairs, keeping out of sight as Edward and Bella left the house. Joan waved them off as they drove away in the Volvo. Jessica watched the car disappear down the road and tried to push away that ugly pang of jealousy that was threatening to overcome her. She didn’t want to be feeling this way.

She cared for Bella especially knowing they were going to be family soon. Edward wanted Bella and Bella wanted him. Jessica had no part in this equation. She was that variable that messed up the answer.

Maybe it was just hurt pride. Edward hadn’t wanted her. He decided he wanted somebody else and that person happened to be someone that was connected to Jessica. This might not have stung so much if he had chosen someone that didn’t give her front seat to this burgeoning romance.

If he had decided he wanted another new girl maybe she wouldn’t have cared. She would’ve gone about her life with only a few snarky comments to soothe her wounded ego. Instead, she helped get ready Bella for her date with him. She probably would be helping Bella again for future dates.

Jessica had the irrational urge to start screaming into a pillow. A quick look at the clock told her that she had even less time to get ready for the dance. Groaning to herself, she went to the bathroom. She had to reschedule this meltdown.

Her dress was a pink floral dress she bought a few months ago. Her mom had to shorten the hem as it had been too long on her. Her mom got her a new rhinestone headband to wear and Jessica hesitated. She hadn’t worn rhinestone headbands since freshman year.

After that moment when Edward rejected her and she threw her old headband into the trash as it reminded her of the moment every time she saw it. He probably didn’t even remember that moment while Jessica had refused to let it go. Edward was never going to like her back. She had to finally swallow that bitter pill and let him live happily ever after with Bella.

She put on the rhinestone headband and put on another layer of lip gloss. Her mom helped her curl her hair and it felt in loose waves around her face. _Not bad, Stanley._ She was almost pretty.

They were all carpooling with Mike and she was crammed in the backseat of his red Toyota Corolla with Angela, Tyler, and Eric. They should’ve gone in Tyler’s van but that was still in the shop after the accident in the school parking lot and Mrs. Crowley had banned him from driving until further notice. Thankfully, the drive was quick and they escaped the car and stretched their limbs.

Tyler offered his arm for her to take. “My lady.”

“My lord,” she joked, tucking her arm under his.

“You look really pretty, Jess.”

“You too, Ty.”

He laughed and didn’t disagree with her. They entered the gym in pairs – Mike and Lauren, Eric and Angela, then Tyler and Jessica. The gym was filled with people and Jessica noted that the Cullens were all there. It was an anomaly nobody seemed prepared to deal with and everyone gave them a wide berth.

Edward and Bella were sitting and talking in a corner. Jessica looked away and asked Tyler to dance with her. She danced with Eric next and then Mike. And even once with both Tyler and Eric in a monstrosity of limbs.

It was an odd sight to see the Cullen siblings dancing as if they were on a ballroom set to a Fergie song. She danced with Angela and Lauren while the boys mouthed the lyrics and danced badly. She loved these idiots so much. As the song ended, she felt overheated and wanted some punch.

She sipped the cloying fruity punch and wiped at the perspiration around her neck. Her makeup was melting off and her hair was going from wavy to messy. Her feet were killing her and she wished she opted for ballet flats instead of the pretty heels she thought went perfectly with her dress. A slow song was playing and Edward guided Bella to the dance floor.

He didn’t attempt any of the fancy ballroom dancing he’s siblings did but he swayed Bella slowly. It was probably for the best as anything faster might cause Bella to loose balance. Jessica finished her drink and crushed the plastic cup in her fist. She threw it at the nearest trash can and decided she needed to go to the bathroom to freshen up.

A broad wall blocked her. She looked up at the grinning face of Emmett Cullen. He was so much taller than her even when she was in heels. He offered his hand.

“You want to dance, Stanley?”

She stared at him suspiciously. “Why?”

They’d never spoken before. They weren’t even in the same year. She was afraid he was pulling some prank on her. She glanced to the ceiling and there was no bucket of blood or something equally awful.

Emmett noticed and rolled his eyes. “Relax, princess. It’s just a dance.”

“Won’t Rosalie mind?”

“Probably,” he replied glibly then ruined it by smiling conspiringly. “Won’t annoying her make you want to do it more?”

She had a feeling that Emmett Cullen was as much of a chaos entity as Lauren was but that didn’t stop her from taking his hand and he led her in a smooth waltz around the room. She could see the astonished looks on her friends’ faces as they passed by them. Edward Cullen looked up as they neared, his golden eyes narrowed. Emmett stopped them right beside his brother and Bella.

“Oh hey, Eddie,” Emmett said. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

Edward didn’t respond and only glared at him. That didn’t deter Emmett who turned to Bella and asked her, “How are you, Bella? Are you enjoying your night?”

Bella frowned and she stuttered, “Y-Yes. It’s, um, it’s fine.”

“Great!” The song ended and another one began. “Switch!”

He practically threw Jessica at Edward who caught her with the reflex any athlete would’ve envied. Emmett grabbed Bella and twirled her away before she could protest. He was spinning her so fast Bella had to almost cling to him lest she get thrown off from the velocity. Jessica and Edward watched them disappear off into the crowd of people.

Jessica realized she was still holding on to Edward and stepped back. Clearing her throat, she asked, “Is your brother always so…?”

“Evil,” Edward supplied. “All the time.”

Emmett and Bella were at the other end of the gym and he led her into what looked like the tango. Bella looked distressed and didn’t seem to know how to escape. Her friends recovered from their earlier shock and were trying to hide their amusement. The other Cullens were openly pointing and laughing even Rosalie.

Edward continued, “We tried an exorcism once. It didn’t work.”

Jessica let out a peal of laughter and covered her mouth when Edward looked at her. His golden eyes looked almost green under the blue lights they were under. It was a nice color. Somehow, it suited him more.

Swallowing, she remarked, “I didn’t know you could make jokes.”

His eyebrows furrowed before he nodded. “I get it. You think I’m too serious?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that.”

He rolled his eyes but he was smiling. It wasn’t the awkward smiles she’d seen on him before. Not the ones where he was trying to hide his conceit for the people around him. This was softer and exasperated.

Wanting to change the direction her thoughts were going, she remarked, “Aren’t you worried your big brother is going to steal your girl?”

Emmett dipped Bella who clung to his neck like a monkey afraid to fall from a tree. He pulled them back up and began twirling her again. The Yearbook members were taking photos. Unbelievable.

Edward didn’t even look a little bit worried. “Emmett prefers blondes.”

“So, I should be worried if he was dancing with Lauren?”

He looked horrified. “I just noticed the similarities between her and Rosalie. Could you imagine the chaos they could create together?”

“Apocalyptic.” She nodded. “And imagine their kids.”

His mouth opened in surprise before he inclined his head thoughtfully. “Thankfully, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

She didn’t know what the meant and she had a feeling she didn’t want to know. Her friends had taken pity on Bella and decided to rescue her from Emmett. The song was over. Jessica realized they spent the whole song just talking.

If this was a movie, she would’ve asked him to dance and they would have a nice moment. She could put any weird feelings she had to rest and she could have this little moment in her pocket to keep forever. Life wasn’t a movie though. Bella was walking towards them, trying to weave her way past their classmates.

The fact was she had been Bella once. The girl that had a crush on a boy that couldn’t be less interested. Even after he rejected her, she had hoped and wished he would change his mind. But he never changed his mind because that’s not who he was.

Bella smiled in exhaustion and relief as she saw Edward. He moved to her like she was the center of his earth’s gravity. They were drawn together like magnets. It was inevitable.

Jessica felt a sense of certainty and stepped back, wanting to run away from the sight of love blossoming. Ever perceptive, Angela was there and led her to sit down by the bleachers. Jessica leaned her head on the other girl’s shoulder and Angela wrapped an arm around her, anchoring her. They watched as Homecoming court was crowned.

Mike and Lauren accepted their crowns and they danced together. There was something wistful with how they held each other. Mike and Lauren had known each other since they were four and they’d been together since they were thirteen and now they had to come to terms with the fact that they were really over. They had been one of Jessica’s constants since she moved to Forks. 

“The end of an era,” Angela remarked.

It was the beginning of the end.

“Everything ends.”

She wished it wasn’t.

Angela rested her cheek on the top of Jessica’s head and contradicted, “Not everything.”

She found Angela’s hand and intertwined their fingers. She knew she took for granted the easy comfort her best friend gave. Angela had been the first friend she made in that town and she couldn’t imagine her life without her. No cute boy could ever be worth more than her best friend.

“Love you, Angie.”

“Love you too, Jess.”


	9. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh girls, they wanna have fun...

Jessica planned to spend her Sunday sleeping in and eating cereal while watching the latest episode of _Gilmore Girls_ but she promised Bella they would go to Port Angeles in exchange for her attending Homecoming. Angela had to go to church as she did every Sunday (Pastor's daughter and all) and Lauren totally fibbed about being too sick to go with them. Lauren was probably at her house watching the _Gilmore Girls_ episode and ignoring Jessica's messages. The blonde still hadn't warmed up to Bella and spending her weekend on a three hour car ride with her would result in somebody being murdered.

Bella's truck was like the tortoise in _The Tortoise and the Hare_. It was moving and it would get them there but it was going to take its sweet time. The truck didn't have a CD player and only played cassette tapes. They resorted to borrowing her mom's and Charlie's collection of eighties music. Her mom's taste was mostly pop hits and Charlie's was hard/glam rock.

Jessica asked, "What do you think, Bells? Bon Jovi or Cyndi Lauper?"

Bella frowned as she thought about it before replying, "Which one is less annoying?"

"Never say that around our parents. Charlie implied there will be disownment if we break his Bon Jovi tapes."

"Fine. Make it Cyndi."

Jessica put the tape in and pressed play and Cyndi Lauper's high-pitched voice blared through the ancient speakers. She sang along loudly, not caring how she sounded. Bella shook her head and bit back a smile. Jessica nudged her to sing along and Bella refused.

"Come on," Jessica insisted then sang, " _Some boys take a beautiful girl and hide her away from the rest of the world. I wanna be the one to walk in the sun_ …"

Bella rolled her eyes before giving in and sang with her, " _Oh, girls, they wanna have fun. Oh, girls wanna have_ …"

The rest of the trip was spent like this, singing along to every cheesy eighties song they had available. Bella admitted that her mom liked most of the same music that Joan did and she grew up listening to the songs. Renee's favorite was Madonna and Bella knew all the lyrics to her songs. Jessica was in higher spirits than the previous night and even Bella was all smiles as they sang along to Madonna's hits.

It turned out the bookstore Bella wanted to go to was a small specialty bookstore downtown. Jessica looked around at the store and found a biography about Madame Curie on sale. She ended up buying the book and they went to a pizzeria for lunch. As they ate their pizza, Jessica reached for the small pile of books Bella bought and looked over the titles. They were about the Quileute tribe.

"Are you researching about the tribe?"

Bella grabbed the books back and shoved them into her backpack. "It's for a paper."

"You could also interview Jacob. He is your godbrother."

"I didn't…I didn't want to bother him."

"It wouldn't hurt to ask. Whatever he could tell you has to be more accurate than what you'll find in those books."

Bella made a non-committal response and went back to eating her pizza. Jessica suggested going looking for prom dresses while they were there. They were going to have a combined prom for the juniors and seniors that year and the prom committee was still debating on what theme they were going for. Bella wasn't excited at going shopping but Jessica insisted they were just looking.

"Prom is like Homecoming but bigger," Jessica explained as they looked through a rack of gowns. "When else are you going to be able to wear a gown and be pretty for a night besides weddings?"

Bella sighed and frowned at an ugly gown with polka dots. "Isn't it a waste of money to buy a gown you'll never wear again?"

"You're paying for the memories," Jessica countered and pulled out a red tulle gown and held it in front of Bella to see if it would suit her. "So that when we're as old our parents, we can tell them about our proms."

"Renee loved her prom. She wore this bright pink gown with ruffles. She saved up weeks' worth of babysitting money to afford it."

"Does she still have it?"

Bella winced. "She showed it to me. It's hideous."

"My mom still has hers too. It's this iridescent green metallic with black tulle. It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen but my mom loves it."

They laughed at the image of Joan's prom dress from hell and looked at more dresses before getting bored. They didn't want to go home yet and Jessica suggested they go see a movie. They walked to the nearest cinema and had to decide between a Drew Barrymore rom-com and a vampire horror flick. Bella was staring at the poster for the vampire one with an odd expression on her face.

"Bells?" Jessica shook her a little. "You okay?"

Bella blinked and responded, "How about the horror movie?"

Jessica looked at the red and black poster with what looked like a vampire screaming. "I feel like it's going to give me nightmares. Even though I know vampires aren't real…" She turned back to Bella who had that thoughtful expression on her face again. "And Halloween is over anyway. Do you really want to watch it?"

Bella nodded. Jessica sighed but relented. They bought the tickets and Jessica held on to her bucket of popcorn as a lifeline throughout the film. Lauren was the big horror movie fan in their group of friends and Jessica suffered through them like a trooper. Her parents didn't raise a quitter.

She had to bite back a few screams and was relieved when the movie was over. They got into Bella's truck and Jessica tried to block out the memories of bloodthirsty vampires from her mind. The sun had set and they still had a three-hour ride home. They were driving through a dark road when the truck suddenly stopped.

Trying not to panic, Jessica asked, "What happened?"

Bella tried to start the engine again. It whined but didn't start. "I don't know."

"Are you out of gas?"

"I still have half a tank."

They went out of the truck and opened the hood of the truck. Charlie insisted they keep a flashlight in the truck and Jessica held it over the engine as Bella tried to understand what happened. They didn't have a flat but neither of them knew what happened with the engine. It didn't seem to have overheated.

Jessica called Charlie and told him what happened. He tried to guide them into restarting the engine but realized it was useless as they were too far away from any city or town. They were in the middle of nowhere. They finally had to call for roadside assistance and wait.

It was snowing and it was too cold to just stand around so they went inside the truck and huddled together for warmth under the blanket Charlie insisted they also bring with them. He had said something about an emergency shovel too but neither Jessica nor Bella knew when that would be handy. They munched on leftover popcorn and hoped roadside assistance would arrive soon. A car was pulling up beside them and Jessica told Bella to stay in the truck.

Warily, she opened the truck door and got out. The vampire movie was playing tricks on her head and she was imagining a vampire in that car that was getting ready to murder them. She held on to the military grade flashlight Charlie bought and she was going to bludgeon someone to death if need be. The car stopped beside her and it was a silver Volvo.

The car window slid down and Edward's pale face greeted her like a mirage in the desert. "Hello, Jessica. Do you need any help?"

She stared at him in shock and disbelief. "How are you here?"

Bella quickly got out of the truck. "Edward!"

He smiled at her. "Bella. Do you need my help?"

Bella told him about the engine. He got out of his car and looked it over. He went back to his car and took out jumper cables. It took a few tries but they got Bella's truck to work again. Jessica could've hugged Edward in gratitude. She was that excited to get home.

"Looks like you're all set," Edward remarked.

"Yeah, we should be fine till we get to Forks," Jessica replied. "Thanks for the help!"

Bella was about to say something but Jessica interrupted, "Drive, Bella. We have class tomorrow!"

Bella frowned but started driving away. Jessica waved cheerily at Edward until the sight of him disappeared.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but thank God Edward Cullen showed up."

Bella said, "Why do you think he's in the area?"

"Stalking us?" Jessica joked. "Maybe he's a creature of the night and he's looking to gnaw on someone's jugular."

Bella went quiet.

"Lighten up. I'm kidding."

"Isn't it too much of a coincidence that he showed up just as we needed help?"

"Life is full of coincidences. It doesn't mean there's destiny or something nefarious at play."

Bella didn't reply and focused on the road. The truck didn't break down again but Jessica was going to have a talk with Jacob Black about that crappy engine.

* * *

Jessica walked into her History class and found Edward Cullen wasn't there. A sense of foreboding made her pause. She took her seat beside Eric and asked him, "Did you see Edward around?"

"I think I saw him in the parking lot as we were going in."

"And did Bella go in with us?"

"I think so."

She could ignore this. Maybe the Cullens weren't at school that day. Maybe they were on another camping trip. Maybe Edward skipped that day because there was a sale on hair gel at the mall.

She couldn't know if he was whisking Bella off to murder her. He couldn't have put her at the trunk of his car and was driving away to a cabin in the woods. They wouldn't find her body weeks from now in pieces and would only be able to identify her with dental records. None of that was happening.

She had to overreacting.

Or maybe she wasn't.

Panic rising, she grabbed Eric by the arm and demanded, "Are you sure you saw Bella come into the school?"

"Well, I didn't _see_ her–"

She got up and went to Mr. Welsh and asked to be excused to the nurse's office. She gave some hasty explanation about a 'womanly problem' and he gave her a hall pass. She practically ran to the parking lot, evading the hall monitor with all the stealth of a ninja. She got to the parking lot and saw the silver Volvo and Bella's truck were still there.

Maybe Bella was safe and sound in class. Edward could've locked himself in the library to read misogynistic poetry. Jessica might be overreacting. But safe was better than sorry.

She had to think. If she was a serial killer, where would she lure her victim? Not in the school because there would be too many witnesses. Her stomach dropped as she realized the woods nearby was far enough that they wouldn't hear screaming.

She pulled out her phone and dialed 911, keeping her finger on the call button as she ran into the woods. She cursed herself for leaving the mace Charlie gifted her in her bag. She knew some basic self-defense from a class she took with her mom that one time but she didn't know what weapon Edward had with him. It would all be useless if he had a gun.

She looked around the trees and prayed she wasn't too late. Charlie would never forgive her. In the short time she'd known Bella she'd grown to care for her. She felt protective of the girl that was going to be her stepsister and she would never forgive herself if–

"I know what you are."

That was Bella's voice. She tried to figure out which direction it was coming from.

"Say it out loud."

That was Edward. Fear bloomed in her belly and made her almost dizzy as she ran towards the voices.

She saw their backs. Edward was standing behind Bella. She couldn't see if he had a gun or knife pressed against her. She looked around for anything to fight him off with.

She picked up a branch on the ground. She approached them slowly. She tried to keep her steps quiet. She learned from camping trips with her dad and then Charlie.

"Say it," Edward nearly growled.

Bella replied in a shaky voice, "Vampire."

"Are you afraid?"

Jessica reached Edward and she raised the branch. He turned before the branch could hit him on the back of the head. With surprising speed, he caught the branch and it snapped into pieces. The wood shards fell to the forest floor. Jessica didn't hesitate and threw a punch at his jaw and it felt like hitting stone.

She yelped, "Jesus Christ!"

He didn't look affected and was staring at her in disbelief. "Jessica? What are you doing here?"

Jessica dropped her phone to clutch her aching hand. She felt like she broke something. She bit back a scream of pain. She hissed, "I'm saving her from you, asshole!"

Bella ran over to her and looked over her broken hand in concern. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Jessica was in too much pain to be nice. "What are you doing going into the woods with him? I told you many times that he's probably a serial killer!"

Edward looked offended. "I am not!"

Jessica was about to tell him to fuck himself but Bella interrupted. "Jess, I'm fine. We were just talking."

"Yeah, before he was going to murder you. Normal people don't have romantic talks in the woods," she retorted. "This isn't one of your old books. He's not Heathcliff or Darcy. He's Dahmer."

Edward glared at her. "Hey!"

She glared back and dropped her aching hand to grab Bella's arm. "We are leaving, Bella. And I'm going to so tell Charlie about this. He's going to ground you until you're eighty and I'm going to make sure the only books you get to read are boring textbooks."

Bella dug her heels like a child as Jessica tried to drag her away. She whined, "Jess, this is so unnecessary."

"What's unnecessary is me having to protect you from your bad life choices like that creepy weirdo over there who's busy trying to murder you and loading his hair with enormous amounts of product. I mean today it just looks like he put lard in it."

Edward ran his hand through his hair self-consciously. "Is it that bad?"

"Yes!" Jessica exclaimed. "Right now you got enough product in your hair to season a wok!"

He didn't seem to know how to reply and picked up her cellphone off the ground and held it out. "You forgot your phone."

Jessica grumbled before walking over to him and grabbing it from his filthy, murderer hands. She stood at her full height of five feet two and with all her confidence she could muster looked into his golden eyes and said, "If you ever go near my sister again, I will set you and your dreams of selling that patented butter-flavored follicle cream on fire!"

He didn't look scared. He looked bewildered as she pointed two fingers at her eyes then at him. She declared, "I'm watching you, Cullen."

She went to Bella who looked dismayed and pushed her forward to the direction of the school. She ignored all of the other girl's protests and threatened to call Charlie then and there. She would lock Bella in her room herself if she had to. No one told her getting a sister would be this stressful.

"We were in the middle of an important conversation, Jess," Bella whined. "It was really important."

Unbelievable. She saved the girl's life and this was the thanks she was getting? She should sabotage the wedding and remain an only child. It was too bad she liked Charlie too much to do that.

"You know what else is important, Bella?" she replied. "Getting an education. March, Swan. Double time!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. The Cyndi Lauper song they were singing was 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' which is also the chapter title.
> 
> 2\. The vampire horror film they watched was '30 Days Of Night' and the Drew Barrymore rom-com mentioned was 'Music And Lyrics' which both came out in 2007 but at different ends of the year.
> 
> 3\. Renee's prom would've been in 1986 which makes sense of her dress to be in that excessive 80's fashion. Joan's prom would've been in 1980.
> 
> 4\. I just guessed what kind of music the parents would've listened to growing up. I took inspiration from my mom and relatives' music tastes.
> 
> 5\. Jessica's insults about Edward's hair are from Glee.


	10. Keep Bella Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be gone, demon!

Jessica may have overreacted to that scene in the woods but it had come from a place of genuine caring. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Bella and the girl didn't seem to have an ounce of self-preservation in her body. Bella had been pouty the whole day especially when Jessica told her friends and they all had to stop Mike and Tyler from attacking Edward in the middle of the cafeteria. Bella was one of them and they all felt the need to protect her no matter how much she protested.

Eric thought it was funny to rename their group chat 'Keep Bella Alive' which was separate from the other group chat that had Bella in it. Stopping Bella from herself was going to be group effort. Jessica didn't want to be a snitch but if she had to she would go to Charlie and tell him what was going on. As calm and unperturbed Charlie usually was, she didn't doubt he would hunt Edward Cullen to the ends of the earth.

Bella was upset with her so she bought a small carrot cake from the bakery before going to her house on Sutherland Street. Bella opened the door but didn't look too happy to see her.

Jessica said, "I brought a piece offering."

"You can't butter me up with cake."

"It's carrot cake which happens to be your favorite." Jessica blinked innocently. "You're not going to make me eat the whole thing by myself are you?"

Bella's mouth opened in shock. "That is not fair."

"If it that doesn't persuade you, I brought the DVD of _Sense and Sensibility._ And I don't watch movies on school nights but I will make the sacrifice for you and risk my GPA." Jessica smiled encouragingly. "Come on, Bells, are you really going to turn down carrot cake and Austen? Plus the possibility of ruining my college dreams?"

Bella shook her head but she was biting back a smile. She stepped back to let Jessica into the house. Jessica went straight to the kitchen and put down the cake on the table. Bella helped her get plates and cutlery to cut slices.

When they both had their own slice of cake and eating, Jessica prompted, "Am I forgiven for being kind of crazy today?"

"It's a start." Bella took another bite of cake before asking, "Why don't you like Edward?"

"I don't trust him."

"Why not?"

"There's just something off about him and his entire family," Jessica explained. "You can't be that blind to it. I know he's attractive but there is something about him that gives me the heebie-geebies. And I'm not the only one that says this."

"You don't really know him."

"You don't either. I have been around him a lot longer than you. And the way he looks at you makes me want to ship you off far, far away from him."

"How does he look at me?"

"Remember your first day at school and you tried to sit beside him in Chemistry?" Jessica said. "He was looking at you like he…like he wanted to tear your throat out."

Bella went quiet.

Jessica continued, "It freaked out Angela so she made me switch seats with you. Ever since he's just been acting so weird – _weirder_ than before and whatever it is that's going on with him I don't think it's good for you."

"Jess," Bella sighed. "I'm not a kid. You don't need to protect me."

"I know but let me do it anyway." She took Bella's hand in hers and tried to reason with her because if all her hunches about Edward Cullen was true Jessica couldn't live with herself. "Please. Listen to me."

Something must've finally gone through with Bella because she nodded and didn't release Jessica's hand. Bella got up and told her to follow her upstairs to her room. Jessica took a seat on the bed as Bella took the pile of books on her desk as well as printed internet articles over to her. Bella opened one of the books and Jessica realized it was the Quileute books she bought in Port Angeles.

Bella stopped at a page and showed it to Jessica. There was something about the 'cold ones'.

"Jacob and his dad came over one time and we were talking and I mentioned the Cullens and he started telling me about this story in his tribe about an enemy clan…"

Jessica did not interrupt Bella and listened intently as the other girl told her about the myth of the Cold Ones, an immortal species that fed on blood. Jacob had implied that the Cold Ones had moved back to Forks and Bella figured out that they had to be connected to the last family that moved there – the Cullens.

"Just think about it. Their skin is pale white and ice cold."

Jessica shook her head, quick to rationalize this. "You're nearly as pale as them and Angela has poor circulation which makes her constantly cold and seeking warmth like a reptile."

"Their eyes change color."

"Contacts."

"Sometimes they speak like they're from a different time."

"Don't tell anyone but Mike is obsessed with _Lord of the Rings_ and can speak in Old English when he wants to," Jessica told her. "And Eric knows so much about the lore in the Thor comics you'd think he's from Asgard."

Bella was looking more and more frustrated. "They never eat or drink anything."

"You haven't _seen_ them eat or drink anything. That doesn't mean they don't."

She was around them every second of every day for Pete's sake.

"They don't go out in the sunlight!" Bella was nearly manic as she pointed to an article of what looked like Nosferatu. _Ew_. "And today, Edward confirmed to me himself that he is a vampire!"

"Is that why you two were in the woods? You were interrogating him if he is or isn't a vampire?'

"I needed to know the truth! And will all the evidence–"

"What evidence? Jacob told you a story to amuse you and you found a few books and articles to support this ridiculous theory of yours," Jessica countered. "But it doesn't mean you're right or this is real."

"How can you not believe me?"

"Believe what?" Jessica pushed away the articles and books. "You want me to believe that we have a whole of vampires in the neighborhood? That the boy you're crushing on is an immortal blood-drinker?"

Bella's shoulders drooped. "But he said he was a vampire!"

"I was there when that happened and he didn't say he was a vampire. He didn't say yes because vampires don't exist, Bella–"

"He is a vampire!"

"He's creepy that doesn't mean–"

"Yes, he is!" Bella exclaimed. "What will it take for you to believe me?"

Jessica gave her a look. "Bella, is this because of your mom–"

"No, it has nothing to do with my mom."

"Charlie? The wedding?"

Bella sighed in exasperation and covered her face in her hands. "That isn't it! I just want you – _anyone_ – to believe me!"

Jessica patted her arm patiently. The move, the wedding, Cullen's mixed signals, it had to finally take their toll and break Bella. The mind went to weird places when it was very stressed. Bella deluding herself that Edward and his family were mythical monsters was equal parts worrying and funny.

"It's okay, Bells," she tried to reassure her. "We'll get back Cullen by throwing holy water at him. He'll melt like the witch in _The Wizard of Oz_ and you won't be bothered by him again."

Bella wasn't letting it go. "Do you need proof? Will that make you belief?"

"Empirical data, indisputable evidence? Sure." Jessica decided to oblige her a bit. "But how are you going to prove that Cullen is a vampire?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me with that…"

* * *

Jessica shouldn't be encouraging Bella's delusions but there was no dissuading the other girl so she might as well be able to monitor and curb Bella's tendencies to jump head first into trouble. She helped Bella come up with a checklist on little ways they could prove Edward's supposed vampirism. This might be a good bonding exercise if nothing else. And when this was done, Jessica was going to have a long talk with Jacob Black about refunding Bella for that useless truck and for telling Bella fanciful stories.

The first up on the list was garlic. Bella wanted to make some kind of garlic spray but that was too much effort to waste on something stupid so Jessica went with the next best thing. She threw a whole bulb of garlic at Edward in the hallway. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at the garlic on the ground unable to process what just happened.

"Whoops! Sorry about that!" Jessica remarked cheerily and picked up the garlic. She gave Edward a smug look. "It's good for warding off evil spirits."

He narrowed his eyes at her but didn't say anything as she sauntered away. She made use of having a pastor's daughter as a best friend and borrowed provisions.

"Why do you need them for?" Angela asked.

"Class. History," Jessica deflected. "We're doing a presentation."

Angela gave her a small bottle of holy water her Dad blessed and a small wooden crucifix on loan. She decided to use Bella as bait and had her walking to the library after class. Edward predictably was a creepy stalker and followed her. Jessica poured the holy water into a plastic cup and with the crucifix in one hand ran up to him.

"Be gone, demon!" she exclaimed and threw the water into his face.

Edward froze and wiped the water from his face. She held out the crucifix as a shield. He glared at her and retorted, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, sorry. I thought you were a demon." She waved the crucifix in his face a little bit more but he wasn't even getting a little bit smoky. She sighed in faux-disappointment. "Oh, well. False alarm."

She tried to walk away but he grabbed her arm. She stared down at his pale hand and stared up at him warily. "Chill. It was just a joke."

"Garlic, holy water, a crucifix?" he growled. "What are you playing at?"

She leaned a bit closer and whispered to him, "Just between you and me, Bella thinks you're a vampire."

His golden eyes widened and he dropped his hands. "She…she told you?"

"I know, I know, it's ridiculous. But I thought it'd be fun to indulge her and mess with you," she explained. "I know you're not a vampire, Cullen. You're probably a future serial killer but vampire's a stretch."

He looked relieved and she amended, "Don't think I still want you around Bella because I don't. You keep your distance and we won't have a problem."

His eyebrows furrowed. "You're not her mother. You can't control who she sees."

"I'm going to be her family and I protect those I care about. Vampire, serial killer, plain old weirdo – whatever you are, you're no match for me."

He looked amused, his lips quirking in a smirk. "You think you can handle me?"

"I know I can. It's you who can't handle me."

His smirk developed into a full-blown smile. "Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm." She should probably stop staring at his mouth. "I'd cut you."

"And if I was one?"

"A serial killer?"

"A vampire." He stepped closer to her and he smelled like mint chocolate. It did funny things to her head. "What would you do to me, Jessica?"

"I…" He dipped his head and she could see the amber flecks in his golden eyes. She stepped back and tried to reorient herself. She held up the cross as if it would help her against him and whatever it was he was doing to her. "I would be leading the mob to have you put down because that's what you do to monsters."

He cocked his head to the side skeptically. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She took another step back. "You stake monsters."

Not kiss them. She would never kiss a monster. Or Edward Cullen. Or any monster that looked like Edward Cullen.

"Funny." He gave her one last mocking smile. "I don't think I believe you."

She didn't have a retort to that and decided retreat was the best option. Cullen may have won the battle that day but the war was far from over.


End file.
